European Travel

[burbuja0512]

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My personal "can't miss"
-the Swiss Alps. Plenty of great places to stay in the Bernese Alps. Be prepared for outrage cost of living in Switzerland, but it is so worth it. The Lauterbrunnen Valley has easy tourist access and is absolutely gorgeous.

One hint to save money if you are a bit brave and don't get offended easily is the red light district. When I go to Switzerland for business, I don't mind, but when I was there a few months ago with my husband, we stayed in the Zurich red light district. It was a relatively short walk to the "nice" part of Zurich and honestly if I hadn't read online that I was staying in a "bad" area, I would have never known. Even the crappy zone in Zurich is nicer than many places I've ever been. I didn't see any prostitutes and the only questionable establishment was a tattoo parlor. It was around 100$ a night - compared to the rest of Zurich it was very cheap! I have heard the same thing said about the red light district in some other European countries. Definitely read reviews and do research first, but in many places, it may not be dangerous.. just not as nice as the rest of the city.

Another way to save money is to check whether breakfast is served in the hotel. In many European countries, there will be an amazing breakfast either included or for just a few Euros (or pounds or CHF) more. Eat as much as you can as late as the breakfast will allow, then do a very late lunch. Skip dinner all together, or just swing by a grocery store for some bread and meat.

Definitely learn the "niceties" in the native languages, but "everyone speaks English" is not an exaggeration. Even outside of the major MAJOR touristy areas, if you are in an area with hotels/sights... people speak at least basic English. Possible exception is Italy, but almost everyone we encountered was happy to gesticulate and reach a mutual understanding. Not that you shouldn't try to communicate in the local language, but it's nothing to stress about. I speak some German and was a bit terrified to leave Germanophile Europe, but almost never encountered a problem.

I have only had problems with this in Switzerland and Liechtenstein so far. I speak Spanish and Portuguese and usually can get by almost anywhere in Europe with at least one of the languages I speak, but in Switzerland I had to make do either trying to understand their Italian or their French. (I have found that many cab drivers all over Europe are from Portugual so it's turned out to be more useful than I would have ever imagined!) I can't even begin to understand German, so Italian and French were my only hope. However, I would agree that English is so universal that you'll be fine in about 95% of situations that aren't off the beaten path. Any major city will be ok. LOL I have been all over Germany and I have yet to find a place where their English isn't amazing. I have no idea why anyone learns German! German schools must be excellent because their English is wonderful.